ting the fruits of maturer years.

The branches bend with riper fruit,
The grapes in royal purple shine
When Autumn yields the glory of the year;

and when Winter comes, and there is neither opening buds, green foliage,
or ripening fruit, nor gorgeous frost-tints upon the leaves, I look
through the bare branches of the trees better than I could in spring,
summer and autumn, and lo, how beautiful are the stars that spangle the
heavens and twinkle in the pale light of the moon, with maiden face
sweeping through the heavens, veiled with fleecy clouds, like the
bridesmaid of heaven, to direct our thoughts to the celestial city to
meet the great Author of our creation. For the spirit came from God, and
to God it must return, it being that part of Divinity that dwells with
man during the journey of life.

And we shall hail with joy
The glorious sunset of life."

And the company recorded his wise sayings and poetical phrases for the
benefit of future generations that should inhabit the Valley of the
Otego.

CHAPTER VII.

Their household goods were few, and those of the plainest kind. They
loaded all their goods, with their children and Mrs. Mayall, into the
wagon, and Mayall and his son Esock performed the journey on foot, each
one carrying his gun in readiness for any emergency, with Mayall in
advance to pilot them through the forest. In their journey they had to
ford streams and climb with difficulty the hills.

Not meeting with anything of importance, the fourth day they encamped
within five miles of the Indian chief's wigwam. After feasting on some
ducks they had killed along their road, they all laid down to rest from
the toils of their journey, and all but Esock slept soundly. He was
meditating on what course to pursue, and what excuse he should make on
arriving at the Indian chief's wigwam, to excuse himself in so grave a
matter. Mayall, his father, had gone thus far in match-making without
his consent, and now he wished the whole affair could be passed by
without seeing the Indian chief or his daughter.

In the morning Esock Mayall resolved to take a different route from his
father and the rest of the family, and pass the Indian chief's wigwam
without being seen, and informed his father of his resolution. Mayall
then told Esock that he was ashamed of having a coward in his family;
said he must go boldly to the chief's wigwam, where they would all stay
over night, and if he was not